Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle said the case was not about ‘whether Mr Terry is a racist in the broadest sense of the word’.

He said he had heard a great deal of evidence to show that he is not.

‘It is understandable why Mr Terry wants to make this point, his reputation is at stake,’ he added.

The 31-year-old left court within minutes of the verdict, making no comment as a group of Chelsea fans waiting outside cheered as he walked by.

Mr Terry was accused of calling Ferdinand a “f****** black c***” during a Premier League match between Chelsea and QPR last October.

Concluding his statement, Riddle said: ‘Weighing all the evidence together, I think it is highly unlikely that Mr Ferdinand accused Mr Terry on the pitch of calling him a b**** c***.

The judge described Mr Terry as an ‘unwilling witness’ who would rather not have seen the matter go to court (Picture: AP)

‘However I accept that it is possible that Mr Terry believed at the time, and believes now, that such an accusation was made.

‘The prosecution evidence as to what was said by Mr Ferdinand at this point is not strong. Mr Cole gives corroborating (although far from compelling corroborating) evidence on this point.

‘It is therefore possible that what he said was not intended as an insult, but rather as a challenge to what he believed had been said to him.

‘In those circumstances, there being a doubt, the only verdict the court can record is one of not guilty.’

The Chelsea defender denied a racially aggravated public order offence, claiming he was sarcastically repeating the slur that Ferdinand mistakenly thought he had used.

The Crown Prosecution Service defended the decision to take the matter to court, with Alison Saunders, Chief Crown Prosecutor for London, saying: ‘The very serious allegation at the heart of this case was one of racial abuse.

John Terry and Anton Ferdinand during last October’s Premier League match between Chelsea and QPR (Picture: Andy Hooper)

‘It was our view that this was not ‘banter’ on the football pitch and that the allegation should be judged by a court.

‘The Chief Magistrate agreed that Mr Terry had a case to answer, but having heard all of the evidence he acquitted Mr Terry of a racially aggravated offence.

‘That is justice being done and we respect the Chief Magistrate’s decision.’

He was accused of racially abusing Ferdinand during the game after he was goaded about an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the ex-girlfriend of former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge.If found guilty, Terry would have faced a maximum fine of £2,500.

In a statement on their website, Chelsea FC said: ‘Chelsea Football Club notes and respects Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle’s decision to clear John Terry of the charge against him.

‘We are pleased that John can now focus on football and his pre-season preparations with the team.